Carlos took his car to the shop yesterday since it has been having some issues. Well, turns out the engine mount is completely rotten, so basically the engine could fall out of the car at any time. Yikes! They can't say how long it would be before this happens, could be tomorrow or could be several months. But it is a safety issue, so I think we should drive that car as little as possible. Since the car is 11 years old, I don't think it's worth putting a lot of money in it at this point. So, we're going to begin the search for a new vehicle. The good thing is I'm on mat leave right now, so we can get by with only 1 vehicle for awhile. So, we're going to use my car primarily for now and then only use Carlos' car on days when we both need a vehicle. That way, we can prolong the life of his car while we look for a new one.
So, now we're trying to think about what would be best. Do we get a used car that we could get for a good price that would do us for a few years? Or should we spend a little more money and get something larger like a minivan in planning for the future? My car Zeke really isn't the best for putting a carseat in. It's a bit of a pain actually since there isn't a lot of room in the backseat, so whenever I put the carseat back there, I have to move the front passenger seat all the way forward to make space. It would be much easier in a minivan and it would be nice to have a vehicle with more space. Minivans are expensive though, so we would definitely be looking at getting a used one. The good thing is we have time now. So, we can look at vans and cars and see what good deals we can find.
6 comments:
The NA brands of minivans (Ford, Chev, etc.) are much less expensive than the foreign ones (Toyota, VW, etc.). I know 4 close friends/family (including ourselves) who all have Ford Windstars!
I'm glad to hear you aren't anti-minivan people - when it comes to minivans people have very strong opinions. The fact is - they are generally cheaper and better on feul than the bigger SUV's (which is what anti-minivan people lean towards). I love our van... someday we'll get a new one (this was "new to us")...
Happy vehicle shopping!
The only thing I would caution about is buying a NA brand new. If GM, Chrysler or Ford go bankrupt, their warranties will be??? If you buy used, then chances are there are no warranties left anyway.
I do find it amusing though how many people have kids and suddenly want minivans. I think this is a recent trend (like in the last 15 years or so). My family always just had cars and we got by fine. The only families I knew who had a van growing up were the families with at least 3 kids. :)
I love my van and so far it's just Logan! For one - strollers are typically big... if you want to pack that and anything else, you need room (car trunks typically don't cut it). If you want to carpool with another family somwhere then you have room. :)
I don't know, my car has a huge trunk! Hatchback. But I do still find it funny. :)
Don't strollers fold up? I do not know about strollers, so I'm curious about that one. I was under the impression (and have seen them) that you can buy strollers that fold up easily. Then it would be no problem to fit into a car. Maybe they are crap though, what do I know? LOL
Our stroller folds up really easily using one hand and fits well in the back of Zeke. So, it really is just the hassle of the carseat since I don't have much room in the back seat.
If we do get a mini-van, it would definitely NOT be a north american one. I already know I want a Toyota Sienna when the time comes.
Carlos and I will talk about it, but right now we're thinking of getting a newer car (i.e. Toyota Matrix or Corolla, Honda Accord, or VW City Golf or City Jetta). If we get one that is 2004 or newer, that will last us for several years yet. Then, when we are ready to trade Zeke in when we've outgrown him (in maybe 4 or 5 years), then we'll get a Sienna at that point.
Having said that, we'll still look at used Siennas now as well as the cars for comparison and see what we think.
Good choices! If I get a new car in the next year or so, I'll be looking at Corollas, VWs, Subaru Imprezzas, and Mitsubishis.
:)
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